Science Distilled, a new lecture series created by DRI and The Discovery, makes cutting-edge science approachable through presentations on current and curious topics held at hip locations in a social atmosphere.
What do cybersecurity and paintball have in common?
For the majority of us, pondering cybersecurity risks makes us worry about our bank account. But in reality, the major challenges of cybersecurity may lie more in large critical infrastructure (like electrical grids and water systems) vulnerabilities or vulnerabilities in the systems that influence our political thought. Our speakers will cover these threats and what they are doing about it, including innovative strategies to train the next generation of specialists.
What does the face of the new cybersecurity expert look like? Well, we’re not in Kansas anymore, Toto. These experts are willing to throw out the cookbook and learn how to break things in order to secure them. They use “cyber ranges” to learn to think like a hacker and stay ahead of the latest threat, immersing themselves in the gamification of cybersecurity much like a paintball game.
Most importantly, experts in cybersecurity are now looking to ways that we can increase community resilience to cybersecurity vulnerabilities. Non-traditional solutions, such as local and regional cyber-guards and a diversified workforce will become the norm. Come hear our speakers discuss questions like: How are technologies used to influence public opinion? Are we willing to bet our democracy on the technology alone? What are scientists doing about it? What can you do at home?
Time: Doors open at 7:00pm, presentation begins at 7:30pm
Location: Patagonia Outlet, 130 S. Center Street, Reno
Chris Ipsen, Assistant Vice President for Information Technology and Research Computing at DRI
In addition to a decades-long career in information security, computing, and being an innovative leader in IT at DRI, Chris has been honored multiple times with industry awards including SC Magazine’s CSO of the Year, Information Security Magazine’s Security 7 Award, and Government InfoSec.com’s Top Ten Most Influential Government Cyber Security Professionals. Chris also sits on the Nevada Commission for Homeland Security.
Brandon Peterson, Chief Information Security Officer at DRI
Brandon has spent the last 20 years managing IT infrastructure and security for banking, media, higher education and research. In addition, Brandon is a SANS community instructor and has taught Incident Handling and Hacker Techniques to students throughout the country. He is a proven expert in cyber security, even having won the SANS Ninja coin contest for Network Penetration Testing and Ethical Hacking. Brandon is committed to improving Nevada’s cyber security posture through collaboration, training, and research.
